


The Story of Us

by MyJediLife



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin still isn't over it, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo Has Issues, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, But with a happy ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghost Squad Goals, Heavy Angst, Luke is a snarky force ghost, Luke won't let him forget it, Marriage Story AU, Mentions of Pregnancy, Mentions of childbirth, No missing limb jokes, Pesky Force Ghosts, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey has issues, Senator Ben Solo, That's Not How The Force Works, What happens at Varykino stays at Varykino, ben is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 05:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20371810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife
Summary: When Ben and Rey face marital troubles, can anything bring them back together, or are they destined to live their lives apart?A "Marriage Story" Canonverse AU based off the trailers.





	The Story of Us

**Author's Note:**

> When I saw the trailers for "Marriage Story" earlier this week, plot bunnies were born, and they had to be birthed. This is just a one shot, because I couldn't kill you all with angst for more than 6k words. Consider it a one time gift. :)
> 
> This is raw and unbetaed, any mistakes are my own.
> 
> Thanks to my Lefty, whom I love dearly, for the beautiful moodboard! She also has a Marriage Story AU one shot called "What I Love About", as well as many beautifully written pieces. Love ya, [Semperfidani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semperfidani)

[](https://imgur.com/Wb6Uijv)

**PRESENT DAY**

“What do you love about Rey?” Finn asked, looking at his friend. They were sharing a meal in Galactic City before Finn had to head back to Corellia, where he and Rose had started their lives together after the war had ended.

Ben looked at Finn, sighing before letting a small smile come to his lips. “Her light,” he remarked softly. “She’s like the sun. She brightens everything just by being there.” He reached out, clutching the glass of Corellian brandy in his hand before bringing it to his lips and swallowing some of the amber colored liquid, letting the warmth flood his insides. “She’s a great Mom. Like… the best. She’s so involved with our son, in every way. She’s relentless. Fearless. And her heart. She’s got the biggest heart for everyone she meets. Her laugh. She laughs with her whole body. The way she looks at everything like she is seeing it for the first time. The way she devours her meals like it’s the most delicious meal she’s ever had. Her horrible table manners. She… she makes me a better man, just for being with her.”

Finn nodded, looking at his friend. It was amazing, how far Ben Solo had come in the past ten years – from the Master of the Knights of Ren and Butcher of Tuanul, to Supreme Leader of the First Order, to hero of the Resistance – to Senator of Chandrila in the Galactic High Council. His mother and father both would have been proud of him.

“She’s everything, Finn. I don’t even know where to start. She’s my other half, and to… to think she just wants to… to live life apart from me, to not be my wife anymore… it’s tearing me apart inside. I can’t sleep, I can barely eat anything. I cry more than any grown man should. I… I don’t know how I can do this without her after everything we’ve been through. I gave up everything to protect her, and now to just let it fall apart seems so absurd.”

“I know, man. I know. She’s not doing well, either, you know. She’s… well, she’s Rey. Holding it together for little Han, you know. She’d never let him see how broken she is inside.” Finn glanced down at the chrono on his wrist. “Hey, Ben, I gotta get going. I’m sorry. You said you’re going to Felucia in a couple days to see them?”

Ben nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat, his eyes watering. “Yeah. The Council is breaking for a few days. Figured I’d go spend time with my boy and… I hope… my wife.”

“When’s the last time you talked to her, man? Like, sat and talked to her? I know you have that crazy bond thing going on.” Finn stood, readying himself to leave, when Ben looked up at him.

“She closed it about six months ago. It’s like living with this empty void in my head where my other half used to be. Wh-what if she doesn’t love me anymore, Finn?” Ben’s eyes were filled with tears now, and Finn hugged him with one arm. “I don’t think that’s even possible for either of you, Ben. I’ll see you soon, ok?”

Ben nodded, watching his friend walk out as a memory came to mind.

….

_Rey threw back her head and laughed, the morning light catching in her chestnut hair, her eyes sparkling. Ben would never get tired of seeing her laugh, especially when he was the one making her do it._

_“Can we go walk along the beach again?” Rey asked him softly as he grabbed her hand across the small table on the Falcon._

_“We can do whatever you want, sweetheart. All we have is time… and a Corellian YT series light freighter.” Ben let a smile come to his face, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Rey, his light, the other half to his soul. He would watch her sleeping sometimes, her Force signature bright and steady, and he would wonder how- after everything he had done – he got to be with her._

_He was the luckiest man in the Galaxy, for sure._

….

“What do you love about Ben?” Jessika asked, looking at Rey as they sat watching Rey and Ben’s son playing with the other children at the training academy on Felucia.

Rey watched Han playing, trying to keep the tears from her eyes as she thought about her husband. “He’s a great Dad. The best, actually. He’s so involved with Han whenever we’re together. He’s protective, relentless, fearless. He feels _everything_ so intensely, you know? He’s the smartest person I have ever met, and, not a lot of people know this, but he’s _funny._ He makes me laugh so much. He cries a lot – but that goes along with the way he feels things so intensely. He has this sense of what is good and just now, and he loves teaching the kids at the Academy. He loves teaching Han new things. He’s a good role model. And… you know, he loves us.” Rey shrugged, blinking back tears. “I just don’t know if it’s enough anymore, Jess. I’m used to being here, and he’s got his duties there. What if it’s not enough? We barely ever talk anymore. It’s night here when it’s day there, and I’m just so tired at the end of the day. I, I just want him here. I wish our love was enough. Wh-what if he doesn’t love me anymore, Jess?”

Jessika sighed, reaching over to pat Rey’s hand sympathetically. “I can’t answer that for you, Rey. Only you and Ben can. You should talk to him.”

“I… I shut him out, Jess. You know we have that bond?” Jess nodded – everyone in the Resistance knew about the Force Bond between Ben and Rey by now. “We had a fight about six months ago. I was so tired one night, Han was giving me issues going to sleep. Ben was on Coruscant, of course, and I was here. I just wanted my husband. I wanted him to help get our son to sleep, and then to be held until we fell asleep – like we used to do. We fought, and I closed the bond. I’ve been too terrified to open it back up. Wh-what if he… what if he doesn’t want me anymore?”

“Oh, Rey? I don’t think it is possible for Ben Solo to not want you. You are both programmed to want the other, I think. Just talk to him when he comes home. That’s the best thing you can do.”

Rey nodded, letting her mind wander to the night she thought of as the start of their collapse.

….

_“They want me to be on the Galactic High Council,” Ben said softly, looking into Rey’s eyes lovingly. Little Han was running through their home, a toy X-Wing in his hand as he made sounds with his mouth to mimic an epic space battle._

_“That’s great news, Ben!” Rey smiled at her husband, reaching out to touch his face gently. She knew how proud Leia would be of him and how far he had come. “How will this work then? Will you have holo meetings and such so that we can continue teaching at the academy?”_

_“We’ll figure that all out.” Ben caught Han as he ran by, plucking the boy up and tossing him over his shoulder as he leaned down to kiss Rey lovingly. “I’ll go get this one ready for bed. Join us for a story when I have him ready?”_

_Rey smiled before nodding and letting her fingertips linger on Ben’s lips for a moment._

_She was the luckiest woman in the Galaxy, to have a man like Ben Solo as her husband._

….

**BEFORE**

The First Order had been crushed by the Resistance after Ben had defected, redeeming himself by bringing down the First Order from the inside, using their own battle plans and technology against them. Rey had been the true catalyst behind his redemption, her light and faith in him had brought him back from the darkness that had consumed his soul at one time.

Their bond had only grown stronger as the war raged on, so that, at the end of the war, they could combine their Force powers to unleash power that had never been seen before. They always knew what the other was thinking and feeling, and they could talk to each other no matter where they were.

Neither one of them even tried to imagine being in love with anyone else. The Force had bonded them for a reason, and who were either of them to deny that? They belonged together, and their bond was strong and unbreakable – even if they had wanted to be free of the other.

Ben found out about Rey’s wicked sense of humor, about how she couldn’t swim, about how thunderstorms terrified her. Rey found out that Ben was an encyclopedia of random facts, and that he loved to sit at night and look up at the stars. Loving each other was as easy as breathing.

Everything was right when they were together.

One night, as they sat on top of the Falcon on Yavin IV, Ben had looked at her, taking in a deep breath before reaching out and taking her hand in his. The war had been over for a year now, and they had been travelling the Galaxy together, trying to find their place once more.

“I’ve been thinking,” Ben began, and Rey smirked at him before replying.

“You do that a lot, Ben. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I love you,” Ben tried to continue, Rey’s laugh stopping him short of what he was trying to get out.

“I know that, too. I love you, too, Ben.”

Ben huffed out a breath in frustration, that one spot under his left eye twitching – like it always did when he was feeling something so intensely that he couldn’t articulate words very well. Rey could sense he was nervous, and then she felt something slipping onto her finger as Ben looked into her eyes.

“Marry me?” Ben whispered, love and longing flooding through their bond. He swallowed hard, nervous that she would say no. “I mean, we’re already bonded. We already know we can’t be apart from the other. We could start an academy together. Teach a new generation of Force users. Maybe start a family.”

“Yes.” Rey didn’t hesitate in answering him when he was done speaking, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

“Yes?” Ben echoed, wanting to hear the answer one more time.

“Yes.”

Ben didn’t think about much else beside Rey and how much he loved her for the rest of the night.

….

**PRESENT DAY**

Rey stood outside the magistrate’s office on Felucia, Han tugging at her hand impatiently.

“Momma! You promised me some aircakes from the market!” Rey glanced down at her son, who had the same curly mop of black hair that Ben had, as well as expressive brown eyes that showed every emotion he was feeling. From her he had gotten a generous handful of freckles, and her nose. He was a perfect blend of her and Ben, and Rey felt her heart swell as she looked at him.

“I know, baby. Momma just has to go talk to someone and get some information, okay? Can you be really quiet while I do that? Maybe play with your datapad and send Daddy a message?” Han nodded, his eyes lighting up at the mention of his Dad.

“When’s Daddy coming home, Momma? I wanna go for a ride on the Falcon again! He promised me the other day I could sit on his lap in the pilot’s seat!” Han looked up at her, eagerness in his eyes to see his father once more.

“Well, Daddy said in a few days he’ll be here, baby. He’s helping important people make sure everyone stays safe and happy, remember when he explained that to you?” Han nodded, his nose wrinkling as he looked at Rey.

“Why are you so sad, then, Momma? Don’t you love Daddy? Aren’t you happy he’s coming home?”

Rey sighed, letting a sheen of tears coat her eyes before she sniffed once and swiped a hand over her face to wipe them away. “I love Daddy, Han. Very much. And yes, I am very happy he is coming home for a visit. Now, let’s get inside so I can get the information I need, and then we can go get some aircakes before we head home, alright?”

“Yes!” Han whooped before following Rey inside.

….

“Daddy? What’s a divorce?” Ben’s heart stopped in his chest as he looked at the holo of his only child, eyes just like his worried as they looked back at him. It was the middle of the day on Coruscant, and Ben was in his apartment between council sessions. He always talked to his son before his bedtime, and always hoped to catch a glimpse of Rey in the background.

“Where did you hear that word?” Ben asked quietly, his heart – which Rey had helped him put back together – feeling like it was about to fracture once more in his chest.

“Momma was talking to a man about it. A mag…magi…” Han’s face crinkled up as he tried to pronounce the new word.

“A magistrate?” Ben asked, terror wrapping an icy fist around his heart and squeezing.

_This is it. This is where I lose her forever. You are such a fuck up, Solo. You’ve always been a fuck up, you’ll always be a fuck up._

“Yeah, that’s the word. What’s it mean, Daddy?”

Ben gave his son a small smile and said, “Nothing for you to worry about, my little starfighter. Now, do you still want to go for a ride on the Falcon when I’m home? If so, go tell Momma I need five minutes of her time, please, and then go brush your teeth and get your pajamas on for bed. Understood?”

“Yes, Daddy! MOMMA? DADDY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!” Han disappeared from the holo, Rey appearing a moment later.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and bit her bottom lip before her eyes met his. “Hey.”

“Hi, my light. Rey, I… I’m so sorry. It was a stupid fight, and I’ll be home in three days. It’s been six months, Rey. I barely eat, I can’t sleep hardly at all. Please…” Ben’s voice cracked as he let tears overcome him for a moment. “Please don’t divorce me. I… I love you. You’re my galaxy.”

“I… I can’t do this anymore, Ben. This just doesn’t work for me anymore. I have to go.” Rey almost broke at the anguished look in Ben’s eyes – she hated that he was in agony. She was in agony, too, though, and it was that thought that guided her to reach out and press the button to disconnect the holocall without saying anything else to her husband.

Could she go through with it –cutting the tether that bound them together as husband and wife? How much of her soul would she lose by giving up on them and what they once had together? Rey didn’t know, but she knew she couldn't go on like this.

She just wanted things to be the way they had been before.

She wanted _Ben_. Not the Senator he had become, but the sweet, funny Jedi Master he had been, the one all their students adored – and the balance she was so desperately without.

….

**BEFORE**

Ben smiled at Rey as they walked through what had once been a Resistance base on the planet Felucia. The air was humid and thick, and the fireflies native to the planet flitted through the air as they made their way from one building to another.

“What do you think, my light? We could start our academy here? Make this our home?”

They had been married for two months now, and Ben had never been happier in his life. He had a purpose again, a family – someone to belong too. Someone who shared his hopes, dreams – and last name.

“I think it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” Rey let tendrils of love wrap around Ben’s force signature through their bond, the smile on his face at the feeling all she needed. It was amazing, the feeling she had from simply taking someone’s last name, and knowing that nothing in the Galaxy could ever tear them apart.

_Their wedding had been a truly simple affair, with just them and a magistrate on Ben’s homeworld of Chandrila. Of course, Luke and Leia had decided to appear for the ceremony, as well, which brought tears to both their eyes as they spoke their vows to each other._

_“Rey, my light, my Galaxy. You brought me out of the dark, and you shine so brightly – brighter than any sun on any planet. I’ll always be in your orbit, always be where I can protect you and give you whatever you need. I’ve loved you for so long I can’t imagine ever loving anyone but you. I gladly gave you all the pieces to my heart, and you put them back together with your love and your faith in me. My heart will only ever beat for you. I love you more than the stars love the night sky. You’re my light, and I am the happiest man on any planet today, because I get to give you my name and my love forever.” Ben was crying, tears tracking a slow river down his cheeks as he looked into Rey’s eyes, sliding a ring onto her finger to rest closest to her heart before replacing his Grandmother’s ring behind it._

_“Ben,” Rey was already crying, barely able to get her vows out as she looked into Ben’s eyes, her fingers clutching his tightly. “There’s so much I want to say to you, but mere words can’t express how much you mean to me. You’re like… my anchor in a world that is still strange and new. You keep me in one place, never letting the waves take me too far from you. You’re the other half to my soul – the darkness to match my light. I vow to always be your light, to always pull you from that darkness if you sink in too far. I’ll be right there, at the other end of the string that binds us, making sure you come back to me. I’m yours, forever. I love you more than anything in any Galaxy in existence. You’re my home.” Rey slid a ring matching her own onto Ben’s finger, not waiting for the magistrate to give them permission before she was in his arms, her lips pressed to his in their first kiss as husband and wife._

“Welcome home, my light. Welcome home.” Ben lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her into the building that was to be their permanent home from that moment on, their lips pressed against each others in a sweet kiss.

….

**AFTER**

“Please, Ben! Come home! I need you here!” Rey was sobbing through their bond, and as Ben tried to pay attention to the Senator from Takodana, he found himself rubbing his temples as he tried to split his attention between his sobbing wife and his work.

“I can’t, Rey. I… I have this legislation we’re working on. It’s _important_.” Ben hated knowing she was crying, knowing he was the cause of her anguish. It had been four years that he had been on the Council, and he had spent the last two travelling between their home on Felucia and Coruscant. He missed his family, and their students at the Academy, but he was doing important work.

Rey had always supported him – until now.

“No! I don’t give a kriff about what you’re doing there. I need you here with me! With us! Aren’t we more important than some stupid law? I thought we were – I thought you loved us! You haven’t been home in four months, Ben! FOUR MONTHS! I can’t do this anymore! Come home, Ben, or I’ll know. I’ll know what’s most important to you.”

Their bond snapped shut, and Ben felt Rey block him, like the sun being blocked by clouds.

His life had been hell since. He could barely function, spending his free time beating against the durasteel doors she had around their bond. If only she would let him talk to her, they could easily resolve this.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and the only glimpses Ben had of his wife were glimpses of her in the background during his holocalls with their son. Still, glimpses of her face - of her _light_ \- kept him going. Knowing she and Han were still in his galaxy, still waiting for him, was enough to keep him centered. Balanced.

….

**PRESENT DAY**

“You’re an idiot.”

Ben was in his apartment, sitting on his couch and staring at the stark white wall in front of him, spinning a glass of Corellian brandy around and around on the small table. His heart was throbbing painfully, and he was trying to do something – _anything_ – to numb the feeling.

A feeling he had brought on himself because he was – indeed – an idiot, just like the voice-

Ben’s eyes focused, his head snapping up slightly as he took in the sight of both his Uncle and Grandfather standing in front of him, lined in the blue glows of Force ghosts.

“Yeah, thanks for that assessment, _Uncle_. After all these years, you certainly don’t mince words, do you? Nor have you learned how to say hello like a normal person.”

“Being dead doesn’t change you that much,” Luke replied with a small smirk, settling onto the couch beside his nephew. “You need to fix things with Rey, Ben. Think about what you might be throwing away.”

….

_Ben paced across the room, watching as the med droids worked on Rey. Thoughts swirled through his brain in rapid succession._

She had been malnourished most of her life. She had always been thin, and her pregnancy had been fairly normal except for the morning sickness. What if something went wrong? What if she didn’t make it?

_She was screaming again, Force why couldn’t they help her? He would tear them apart, circuit board by circuit board, if they didn’t help his wife…_

_Then the sounds of a baby crying rang out into the stillness of the sterile room, followed by Rey’s quiet sobs of happiness. Ben ran to her side, his fingers twining in hers as they both looked at their son for the first time, the medical droids cleaning him and assessing his health before handing him to Rey. She gazed down at the tiny life before looking up at Ben._

_“He’s perfect, Ben,” she sobbed, clutching their son close to her breast._

_“Like his mother,” Ben replied, his own tears tracking down his cheeks._

_This was the happiest day of his life. He had everything he would ever need with Rey and their child._

….

The memory faded from his head, and Ben realized he was crying as he looked at his Uncle and Grandfather, who were both watching him in silence.

“Ben,” Anakin took a step forward now, sighing as he considered his word carefully before continuing. “I know what it’s like to lose the most important person to you because of your own actions. I lost my family, my identity… my _limbs_…”

Luke chuckled beside Ben on the couch, causing both Ben and Anakin to look at him in shocked disbelief.

Luke shrugged. “What? Too soon? I mean, we’re dead. Can we really still be upset about all that now?”

Anakin rolled his eyes at his son before looking back at his grandson. “Don’t make the same mistakes I made, Ben. Obi Wan often warned me about politicians, and your mother – well, we know what it did to you as a boy. Do you want that for your son? Being raised by nanny droids?”

Ben let out a small huff of laughter. “Rey won’t allow nanny droids for Han. We take care of everything for our son. Neither of us would have it any other way. She knows how I was raised and what it did to me.”

“She knows everything about you, Ben. Tell me, nephew, is it worth giving that all up for people here who only care about the wonderful mind of yours? The galaxy will still run without you here. But your family may not. Go home, Ben. You’ve been gone, what, ten months now?”

“Yes,” Ben choked out. “B-but I talk to Han every night, and… and he told me…” Dread settled over him like a coffin, and Ben knew what he had to do.

“He asked you what divorce meant last night. We know, Ben. Why do you think we’re here?” Anakin said gently.

“I… I’m going home. Tonight.” Ben said softly. “Let me make some calls. Thank you Uncle Luke. Grandfather.” Ben stood, tossing the brandy back before he strode into the bedroom to pack his things.

Luke eyed Anakin with a small smirk. “He’s got too much Skywalker in him, you know. Now… are you really still upset about limb jokes, Dad?” Luke asked as they faded back into the Force.

….

Rey got up early every morning, so that she could enjoy a cup or three of caf before Han woke up and demanded her attentions. Running the academy was her life now, and while she had once had Ben at her side to do so, now she was utterly alone, and –

“You’re alone because you shut him out, Rey.”

Rey looked up, blinking furiously to make sure she was focusing as she took in the visage of Leia Organa-Solo, a delicate blue glow surrounding the visage of the only mother figure Rey had ever known.

“L-Leia?”

“Hello, dear. It’s been a long time. I’ve been watching, though, Rey. You know, at one time my only hope was for Ben to follow in my footsteps as a politician, much like my own mother before me had, I am sure, when she was carrying Luke and I.” Leia stepped closer, smiling at Rey.

“I know. But Ben wanted to be a pilot like Han,” Rey said, her heart aching at the sight of her mother in law.

“Yes. My little starfighter. I know Ben calls little Han that. It’s adorable.” Leia smiled, settling herself into a chair, which Rey watched with fascination. “But, we need to talk about you and Ben, and how you’re going to fix this.”

Rey said nothing for a long time, drinking from her mug and watching Leia. Finally, with tears in his eyes, Rey asked the question that terrified her and had been plaguing her very soul, “What if we can’t be fixed, Leia? What if he doesn’t love me anymore?”

Leia let out a small laugh, shaking her head slightly. “Rey, I don’t think it is possible for Ben Solo to exist without loving you. You’re the reason he is here, you know. It was your love that brought him back from the darkness and made him into the man he is today. It’s your love that keeps him grounded, keeps him balanced. You two fixed a galaxy together, and you’ve always been good at fixing things – haven’t you? You’ve built speeders from junk and kept the Falcon flying all these years. And… you took a broken man and made him whole again. Talk to him, Rey. Stop shutting him out. Please. For you and Ben… and for my grandson.”

“O-okay. I went to a magistrate yesterday,” Rey said softly. “I had no clue how to go about dissolving a marriage, but I figured since Ben’s career is so important to him, and he hasn’t been home in ten months, maybe it was an option to explore. But it just makes me ache inside, to think about not being his wife anymore. I just want him, the Ben I married – not a Senator. I want us to teach the younglings together and watch our son grow, can’t the galaxy be run without taking my husband from me?” Rey looked up at Leia, pleading with her eyes for an answer.

“Yes, it can be,” Leia said gently. “I wish I could have seen that years ago, back when Ben was a child. Just – talk to him, Rey. Trust your feelings. Trust the Force. Why would it give you this incredible gift of a Force bond if it didn’t intend for you to be bound together always?”

For the first time in a long time, Rey smiled. “I will, Leia. Thank you. We miss you terribly.”

“No one is ever really gone, Rey. May the Force be with you. I’m going to go look in on my grandson for a few minutes, if you don’t mind.” Leia stood, walking towards Han’s bedroom as Rey went back to thinking.

….

The message flashed across the screen of her datapad twenty minutes later, as Rey sat with yet another cup of caf, her chin perched in her palm as she stared out the window into the jungle around the old Resistance base.

_Please let Han know I will be home in 6 standard hours. I’m on the Mirrorbright, so it could be quicker if I push her._

With a tiny smile on her face, Rey stood, knowing she had to make some plans so that she and Ben could talk.

….

As the green and browns of Felucia came into view through the large view port in front of him, Ben felt his heart start beating faster. Would Rey even talk to him? Could they work through this? How could he show her he wasn’t going to abandon her like so many others had her entire life?

Landing the _Mirrorbright _at the academy, Ben exited the ship as quickly as he could, practically running through the halls, ignoring the calls and shouts of his former students as they saw their Master make his way towards the rooms that he and Rey made their home in.

He skidded to a stop outside their rooms, pressing his palm against the keypad and listening as the door opened with a hydraulic whoosh of air, and as he stepped inside, the first thing he saw was Rey sitting in her favorite chair and looking up at him.

“I thought we should talk.”

He nodded curtly, taking the bottle of water she handed to him and settling himself into his favorite spot on a couch facing the window – and Rey. She tilted her head to one side, raising one brow expectantly as she looked at him.

“Okay.” He said, letting out a tiny, nervous laugh as he looked at Rey, toying with the bottle in his hands. “I don’t know how to start.”

Rey huffed in annoyance, settling back into her chair. “I’m so mad at you, Ben. And so hurt.”

They sat staring at each other for a long time, until Ben sat forward, opening his mouth at the same time Rey did.

“Do you still love me?” They both said at the same time, looking at each other.

“Open our bond back up, and let me show you, my light,” Ben said softly, knowing that neither of them could lie to the other inside their bond. Rey nodded, and Ben almost sighed in relief at the familiar feeling of Rey’s Force presence flooding through him once more.

Even as the tears fell from his eyes, Ben showed her how much he loved her through their bond, and he crossed the short space between them, falling to his knees in front of her with his tear filled eyes turned up at her. The next words that fell from his lips were the same ones he had said to her the day they had gotten married nine years ago.

“My heart will only ever beat for you. I love you more than the stars love the night sky. You’re my light, and I am the happiest man on any planet today.” Rey brought her hands to his hair, her fingers combing through the silky locks as she searched his eyes, already knowing the truth of everything.

Yes, he had gotten too involved in his work, and had chosen to let it consume his life. He had set aside his family to do something he believed in. But she had shut down their bond for six months, and she had doubted his love for her and their son. They had both made mistakes – but there was one thing that Rey could never doubt as she looked into Ben’s eyes and his arms went around her, his head resting on her lap as her fingers worked through his hair.

This man loved her.

And she loved him.

“I love you, Ben.”

“And I you, my light. Forever.”

….

**THE FUTURE**

The Lake Country of Naboo had to be one of Rey’s favorite places in the galaxy, Ben’s family’s estate at Varykino their favorite retreat when they needed to go away from the noise and chaos that was their Force academy.

Since Ben had told the High Council he would be working from their home a year ago, they had found happiness once more. Sometimes, late at night while Ben was asleep, Rey would watch him sleeping and wonder how she ever could have considered not being married to him. He was so intrinsically woven throughout her soul, that the thought of being without him made her want to weep.

Sure, he had his issues. He was too brusque sometimes, too impatient. He felt everything so intensely that he sometimes needed to be reminded of who he was again. That’s when she would reach out to him through their bond, or reach out and take his hand – to ground him and remind him just what was most important to him.

He would always react the same, the same corner of his lips turning up just slightly enough for her to notice, or his Force signature caressing up against hers like a delicate brush of his lips against hers.

As Rey stood outside their room, on the same terrace where Anakin and Padme had gotten married so very long ago, she let her eyes travel over the beautiful countryside as she listened to Ben talking with their son, promising him some piloting time later that day if he was good.

“You’re beautiful,” Ben said as he stood in the doorway watching her.

“You’re blinded by love, Master Solo,” Rey replied with a grin, knowing he was approaching even before he swept her up in his arms, his lips meeting hers in a long, loving kiss.

“Perhaps I am,” Ben replied gently, settling her back onto her feet and pulling her back against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head and his arms tightly around her as they gazed out over the water.

“Ben?” Rey said after a moment, “I have a confession to make. I’ve been blocking something from you, but only because I wanted to confirm something. I have a surprise for you.” Rey lifted the veil from their bond, waiting for a moment as Ben took in the tiny new presence resting within their bond.

“I’m going to cry all over your hair,” Ben said after a moment. “I hope she’s as beautiful as her mother, and I’ll never, ever deserve the three of you. But I’m glad I’ve got you.” His lips grazed the top of her head again, his arms holding her even tighter now.

“You’re my home,” Rey said, “And there’s nowhere else I’ll ever want to be.”

“Me either, my light. Me either.”

**Author's Note:**

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